So I might be looking at a few used cars. I am leaning toward a VW since I love the driving experience. This will be a purchase for a commuter car for me, that I WILL take on trips out of state from time to time probably a couple times a year.

I am also considering another Honda Civic or Prelude for the same use but would prefer a better driving experience.

The candidates are so far, 2.0 turbo or a VR6. Which is more reliable, and how is the mileage of each in a 5 speed or auto in a 4 door?

I am looking at the Passat and Jettas. How is their longevity compared to say the Civics and Preludes?

__________________
" The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything." Straight Out Da Trailah!

mk4 is less reliable than mk5 and mk6. The mk4 VR6 is an awesome engine, sounds great, fun to drive. The 2.0 is an engine, it makes the car go. Electrical woes are likely to be a factor on a mk4 vw. Check out vwvortex.com

__________________
I buy all my stuff at motorcyclegear.com, formerly newenough.

you stated 2.0 turbo, I missed that - you're looking at a mk5 or mk6 gti then? the mk5 2.0t was more reliable than the mk6 one. decent mileage, decently reliable. I'm on my 3rd 2.5l vw golf (i trade in at the end of the warranty each time, as the Golf is always worth substantially more than I owe by that time) and love the 2.5 engine. Decently peppy, ok mileage (especially 2011 and newer! different gearing) and without the pricetag of a GTI. I use mine as work car for hauling IT equipment. Next go 'round it's probably a golf TDI or a jetta sportwagen TDI.

__________________
I buy all my stuff at motorcyclegear.com, formerly newenough.

So I might be looking at a few used cars. I am leaning toward a VW since I love the driving experience. This will be a purchase for a commuter car for me, that I WILL take on trips out of state from time to time probably a couple times a year.

The candidates are so far, 2.0 turbo or a VR6. Which is more reliable, and how is the mileage of each in a 5 speed or auto in a 4 door?

I am looking at the Passat and Jettas. How is their longevity compared to say the Civics and Preludes?

Just a quick note about the 2.0 turbo.....we have two of these cars, and have been pleased with them. And they are easy to work on, with respect to oil changes and minor tune-ups. Lots of room under the hood and parts are available everywhere.

Mileage is 25city/31hwy virtually all the time. With the 18+ gallon tank in the Passat, its an easy 525 miles of 75mph cruising between fillups.

buying used? check the coolant, there's a goofy purple "lifetime" coolant that doesn't mix well with the regular green stuff ........... and turns into a jelly when they mix; my mistake was not knowing that about the engines when buying, not mixing them post purchase. expensive parts too,at least here, on maui, for no good reason. i like my scion iq that we traded it in on...

Ok, we only drive 12 miles to work... Still love them. They are kinda not stock any longer...

More power and MPG still really good. Me mid 40's or better her high 40's or better.

I agree with C Squared; I am the proud owner of a 2003 Jetta Tdi since new and have put about 217000 miles on it. With an extra 50% power than stock I am still averaging 44+ mpg with highs in the mid 50's on the highway at 70mph. There is also a great community of owners which are the to help you. I host 2 GTG per year here in the San Francisco bay area with turnouts of 35-50 cars. Check out www.tdiclub.com. Plus with all the torque they are a blast to drive.

I have an '08 MkV GTI with the 2.0T FSI. 50,000 trouble free miles so far and I love it. It's decently fast, yet also practical. The Jetta GLI is basically the same car but with a trunk. The MkV GTI and GLI were manufactured in Germany and don't have the reputation for electronic woes that the Mexican manufactured cars do. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I have an '08 MkV GTI with the 2.0T FSI. 50,000 trouble free miles so far and I love it. It's decently fast, yet also practical. The Jetta GLI is basically the same car but with a trunk. The MkV GTI and GLI were manufactured in Germany and don't have the reputation for electronic woes that the Mexican manufactured cars do. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

-Connor

Do the Mexican ones still have fit and finish problems? Most people I know had Jettas and Golfs ranging from 95-05 and everyone had a long list of minor issues.

__________________Motorcycles save lives

"It's the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they're gonna shut the game down. I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it's my turn to leave."

Do the Mexican ones still have fit and finish problems? Most people I know had Jettas and Golfs ranging from 95-05 and everyone had a long list of minor issues.

I have a buddy with a high-mileage 07 GLI......he never had the usual coil or DSG issues, but had an AC compressor die prematurely and lots of warranty work for squeaks and leaks. His Mexican-built car looks as nice inside as my German ones.

+1 on the dealership experience, although mine tries really hard. I have more issues with sloppy mechanics.

Do the Mexican ones still have fit and finish problems? Most people I know had Jettas and Golfs ranging from 95-05 and everyone had a long list of minor issues.

I have an 09 GLI with right at 50k miles. Only issues so far are the A/C cooling fan lost a vane (not normal, it seems, mechanic couldn't believe it) and my passenger side rear window has a funky.. If you put it all the way down, and when its down hit the button down again, it will be reluctant to go back up, you have to hit the button a few times.

Otherwise is smooth, quiet, comfortable, quick, and efficient. I really like this car. Moved to it from a Civic, and the decrease in noise and increase in 'feel of quality' was more than I expected.

I owned a 1995 Golf Gti VR6 that I bought with 65k miles and drove it to 165k before trading it in on a 2004 Golf R32 (3.2L VR6 w/AWD) that had 45k miles and traded it in with 110k. The '95 golf never really gave me any major hassles. It used about a quart of oil in 5-7,000 mi at the end of my ownership and got 20/24 mpg with a 5-speed.

The 2004 was fairly maintenance free until the check engine light came on and said the cam chains were worn out at just over 100k miles...I traded it in for a non-VW shortly after that. The A/C on the 2004 always made a weird noise and it had a "funny" idle problem that was apparently a common issue on the VR6. It'd idle fine for a while then the idle speed would creep up to 1100-1200 rpm until you drove it a little bit then it'd be fine and then it'd creep up again. The dealer didn't know what was wrong with it and couldn't replicate the issue. I also had front wheel bearings go out at 80k miles...I'm glad that car is gone

Watch out on the VR6, they had a few that had bad cam chain drive gears that wore out prematurely and it's an expensive fix! Most were out of warranty and VW never acknowledged it as an official problem so the owners were stuck. If I remember correctly, the V-6 used in some of the Passats (and Touareg's in some years) had a bolt that holds on the oil pump (or oil pump drive gear?) fail and trash the engines. There was a recall on them so make sure it was done if you start looking at one.

My biggest beef with VW is their dealer service/parts departments. That's what ultimately drove me away from VW's. They're going to have to build something really fantastic to get me back. I do miss the VW driving experience but I don't really miss the "ownership experience"

There's a very active VW forum at: www.vwvortex.com that will help you when you narrow down to a specific model.

I just bought this new 2012 Passat TDi in Jan. Had my first service done yesterday 10K miles. I love this car so far.Mileage always 40+ mpg. Lots of room inside,fit and finish also very nice.Any other diesel this size would be $50K + Car has lots of power and DSG tranmission is smooth as silk.I hope it lasts me 10 years and 300K miles.

I just bought this new 2012 Passat TDi in Jan. Had my first service done yesterday 10K miles. I love this car so far.Mileage always 40+ mpg. Lots of room inside,fit and finish also very nice.Any other diesel this size would be $50K + Car has lots of power and DSG tranmission is smooth as silk.I hope it lasts me 10 years and 300K miles.

Just saw an article in USA Today where a couple got 84+ miles per gallon! From Houston to VA, sealed gas tank. They teach fuel economy classes, the car was totally stock, no over inflated tires or diesel truck drafting. They did 5 under the speed limit. It was a Passat TDI.

__________________
TV-free for 7 years and counting
"The difference between Adventure and Adversity is Attitude"